Thought processes and conversations started under the tilted cap of Tropicana Field. Someday everyone will know the Rays play in St. Petersburg, Florida, not TAMPA, or the fictitious city of TAMPA BAY.

Rays Wolverine has Encounter With Mr Hammy.

I was going to start this post today saying something like “ who cares if he has a jacked-up Hugh Jackman ‘ Wolverine’ facial recognition, as long as Tampa Bay Rays new DH Luke Scott keep producing like this. Heck, his unique beard styling might become the 2012 Summer facial accessory around Tampa Bay”.

Just as quickly as I typed in that snippet, I gazed down and noticed Rays rookie Stephen Vogt coming out onto the On-Deck Circle with Scott nowhere in sight as a scanned the dugout bench. Got to admit, it instantly freaked me out to the core having known the cursed history the Rays have endured with their past DH malfunctions. Seeing someone replaced this early in a ballgame is not ever a good sign.

So leave it to the always repressed and lying in wait “Mr. Hammy” to take a hold of Scott’s hind quarters and jerk on it like it was a banana waiting to be peeled. Could Scott be the latest victim of the mystery plague that seems to descend upon players who man the Rays DH position?

Hamstring injuries have a way of being unpredictable especially in positions where you come into a contest a bit cold and not firmly stretched out after sitting for a bit, then are called into producing energy and motion again without a suitable warm-up session. The DH spot definitely calls into play constant movement and keeping the body limber and ready for anything, but injuries like this can still produce even with all the preventions.

We now know Scott will be considered day-to-day for at least the upcoming road trip to Detroit and Boston. We all knew going into 2012 that Scott came with a warning label, but we thought it might pertain more to his vocal comments than a lingering shoulder aliment…or worse.

From Paul Sorrento to Luke Scott, getting posted up as the Rays DH has materialized into a quasi-death sentence either for your Rays batting average or unexpected injuries. With Scott coming out of the contest after 1 at bat with a sore hamstring, could the Rays past DH cursed conundrum of complications be gaining momentum, gaining steam quickly, elevating itself to mid-season level.

The way Scott performed on Saturday stroking the ball and driving in runs, it felt like the first time since the departure of old Rays wild child Jonny Gomes that the Rays DH position might have the ability to make a significant difference in terms of the Rays inconsistent offensive woes. I truly thought, even with 2 games into the season, Scott might just take this dastardly curse and break it over his knee sending it away for good.

Maybe it will take days tender rest and rehabilitation before Scott can again embark into his pseudo-Rays superhero alter ego and begin to bring change the Rays DH status quo. Maybe Scott wearing a “Wolverine”-style beard could end up being a good thing. Superheroes tend to have that resilient quality to overcome adversity and beam confidently as they always seem to triumph in the end. First, Scott has to defeat the improbable and unrelenting Mr Hammy.

This could be a really good signing for the Rays if he does stay healthy. If I’m correct, they didn’t sign him for that big of a contract, so it would be easy for him to out-perform it given his talent level. The didn’t call him ” El Monstruo Del Cuardrangular ” for nothing.
-Mateohttp://mateofischer.mlblogs.com

Lilee,
Rays Executive VP of Baseball Ops Andrew Friedman has asked the last 2 years at the Trade Deadline about Scott. That shows he had the Rays attention way before this Winter. I like his style. Sure his chatter might take some getting used to, but if he plays with any consistency, it is a plus for the Rays.
I truly think of him as a hybrid of Jonny Gomes and Johnny Damon with a little bit of Ty Cobb’s nasty streak….

Mateo,
I did not that other nickname, but I do know he took to Spanish like a fish to water when he played Winter ball in Central America (I think Venz.). His upside is possibly finally bringing a power bat to the DH slot. Damon brought a slasher mentality and a gung-ho ranger vibe, but Scott could vault past Damon with a flick of the wrist.
Going to be a fun 159 games.

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